It has been 22 days since someone in Simpsonville, South Carolina, purchased a ticket and won the $1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot, and lottery officials are still wondering who the winner is.
The winning numbers -- 5, 28, 62, 65 and 70, with a Mega Ball of 5 -- were announced October 23, but the winner remains a mystery.
The pot marked the largest US jackpot won by a single ticket and the nation's second-largest jackpot ever.
The mystery winner still has over 100 days to come forward, as official lottery rules grant the winner 180 days from the draw date to claim the prize. In doing so, the new billionaire could remain anonymous.
Though surprised that no one has shown yet up to claim the money, lottery officials say they notice that people often take their time coming forward.
"We don't speculate why they haven't come forward. The winner should know how they will handle the money accordingly, so is not uncommon they take their time to claim it," she said.
It's very likely the person who won will come forward. But if not, the money will go to a great cause. In South Carolina, unclaimed prize money goes into an unclaimed prize fund that supports education.
Billions of dollars in lottery prizes each year go unclaimed, lottery expert Brett Jacobson said, but the big winners almost always collect their money.